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HL50612: Introduction to global public health and determinants of health

[Page last updated: 14 August 2024]

Academic Year: 2024/25
Owning Department/School: Department for Health
Credits: 15 [equivalent to 30 CATS credits]
Notional Study Hours: 300
Level: Masters UG & PG (FHEQ level 7)
Period:
Semester 1
Assessment Summary: EX 70%, PR 30%
Assessment Detail:
  • Individual Presentation (PR 30%)
  • Exam (EX 70%)
Supplementary Assessment:
Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
Requisites:
Learning Outcomes: Demonstrate an understanding of the development and principles of evidence based medicine and policy
Discuss and identify the many concepts of health and their individual and wider/environmental and commercial determinants
To evaluate the utility of a systems science approach in developing public health approaches and policies
To demonstrate an understanding of the major non-communicable (NCD) and communicable diseases and their key risk factors
Demonstrate the ability to design, conduct and interpret health and environmental impact assessments
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and theory of health promotion along with contemporary public health and population level approaches and policies
To discuss the importance of equality and equity in global public health and critique the role of public health approaches and policies in tackling them.


Aims: The aim of this module is to introduce students to the major causes of morbidity and mortality around the world, the major determinants of those causes and review the historical and contemporary approaches and policies used to tackle these problems at a local, national and global level.

Content: This unit will introduce students to the concepts of health and the discipline and objectives of public health. It will provide a background to the development of public health as a discipline and will consider the major causes of ill health globally, regionally and within countries. It will introduce the importance of identifying and tackling inequalities and inequities in public health. In addition, it will cover the individual, wider/environmental and commercial determinants of health through using current and historical examples. It will also introduce students to systems science and demonstrate how this has been applied to public health as well as discuss it's utility. In covering these topics, individual and environmental global public health and health promotion approaches, along with health care and disease prevention policies and strategies will be described, to provide students with an understanding of the range of public health strategy and policy options.

Course availability:

HL50612 is Compulsory on the following courses:

Department for Health

Notes:

  • This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
  • Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
  • Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
  • Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.